The following posts were taken from the website for Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields, which we operated from 2010 until 2019. They offer a window into our lives on the farm and the ways the farm changed us. In 2018 we decided to end our lavender business but we continue to work with our land in ways that bring balance and health. Posts on this website will continue to follow our work.
The Way
The Way The quiet of these early September days allows time for reflective walks. The forest is dusty and littered with dried leaves; the irrigation pond still full enough to swim in. Tuesday we will harvest a third of the grapes, but today there is time to follow the path into the woods, to contemplate… Read more »
Rose Geranium. We distill the leaves. These plants will be distilled in October. The wires will be covered with frost protection throughout the winter. Rose Geranium We get two distillations of rose geranium a year, one in the late spring, another in October. We are learning… Read more »
Lavender Lessons on Flexibility
One of the old lavender plants just pulled. The new growth is so short that we were unable to harvest it even for distillation this year. One of the big things you learn in biodynamics is to observe not only what you see but also what you feel as you see it. As… Read more »
August Dry
August Dry August is dry. We have used the irrigation water from the small pond, the pond bottom now only a moonscape dreaming of winter rain.
Preparing for the New Cuttings
Pile of old plants being uprooted in Field Sophia. Preparing for the New Cuttings August allows the leisure to do projects that we do not have time for other times of the year. Some call this time of the year of summer dormancy in California (Mediterranean climate) the fifth… Read more »
How to Prune Lavender
We use a power trimmer to prune lavender into mounds. People ask us how to prune lavender, and our advice is, get really tough with it this month! Prune it back almost to the wood, but not quite, water it, and let it put on a little growth and then harden off… Read more »
Who Else Lives Here...
The spider is deep in the funnel tunnel, upper left and lower middle. Who Else Lives Here… One of the values of walking the land each day is learning who else lives here. Those sheets of web so close to the ground, those are funnel spiders, and… Read more »
A Win/Win with Juniper Poles
Notice Dasher’s crowbar-like horns. A Win/Win with Juniper Poles This last week we visited In the Sticks, a north central Oregon sawmill, kiln, and source for juniper poles. Our (dear) goats test the pole structures and fence posts, breaking them off as they weaken. Perhaps they are in… Read more »
Wesley washes plums, removing leaves. Forest Wild Plum Jam Our grandsons Wes and Sabien helped us pick wild plums from a tree planted perhaps by deer many years ago. The plums were fat and ripe. We washed them and cooked them with a stick of cinnamon in the… Read more »
Sign up for Share with First Light Farm and Receive a Gift from Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields!
Crew at First Light Farm Stand. You can also purchase their veggies at selected farmers markets in Santa Rosa and Petaluma. Sign up for Share with First Light Farm and Receive a Gift from Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields! This weekend only: Sign up for a weekly box of certified organic veggies for the rest… Read more »
© 2025 Patricia Damery.
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